BishopAccountability.org
	Former Church Aide Admits Abuse By Daryl Slade and Michelle Butterfield Calgary Herald June 14, 2008 http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=b3f6e135-6b3e-4299-8e08-28989498ecfd A former youth ministry volunteer has admitted to sexually abusing three teenage girls over an eight-year period starting in 1994. Kelly Malcolm Grant pleaded guilty on Friday in Court of Queen's Bench to three counts of sexual touching of the girls under 14 years old and two counts of sexual exploitation while being in a position of trust. The charges against Grant, which were laid last October, stem from allegations of abuse against the girls, two of them sisters, at Centre Street Church between 1994 and 2002. Grant, 43, was making his first appearance in criminal court since being ordered to stand trial in April after the victims testified at his preliminary hearing. The girls' names and evidence from the preliminary hearing cannot be published because of a court-ordered ban. Grant will remain free on bail until his sentencing on Oct. 1. Justice Bryan Mahoney ordered pre-sentence and psychiatric reports to be prepared for sentencing arguments by Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey and defence lawyer Bob Batting. Grant faces another 10 related charges, but they are expected to be dealt with by McCaffrey at sentencing. Terry Busch, a pastor with Centre Street Church, said Grant's actions while a member of the congregation have had lasting effects on the church community. "It's still certainly of great concern to us," he said Friday. Although Busch was not a pastor when Grant was attending the church, he said he knew Grant as a volunteer and there was nothing about his behaviour that would lead anyone to believe he was a child molester. Busch said Centre Street Church stands by its vigorous screening process for volunteers, which includes police checks, social services checks and reference checks. He also said each year the church looks at its screening process and improves where necessary, although he could not elaborate on what changes have been implemented since Grant left the congregation. Dwayne Goosen, a member of the church, said "We're all effected. I guess that's part of our society." dslade@theherald.canwest.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.